Fresno State alumnus and longtime supporter Dr. Harry B. Moordigian, Jr. has established a $200,000 endowment with the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology to support interdisciplinary research.

University President Joseph I. Castro announced the gift today during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Jordan Research Center, a new 30,000-square-foot interdisciplinary research center designed to foster collaboration among students and faculty in agricultural sciences and technology, engineering and science and mathematics.

The gift from Moordigian will be used to enhance the Jordan Research Center’s microbiology laboratory. This space, which will be named by Moordigian, will be used by students and faculty to conduct research on microorganisms in food processing and wine production.

“Understanding the role microorganisms play in winemaking and food processing would enhance safety and quality of the final product. As an alumnus, I would love to see my university at the forefront in this area of research,” Moordigian said.

Moordigian, a retired dentist, has actively supported Fresno State since the 1970s, when he joined the Bulldog Foundation. Since then, Moordigian’s contributions have supported the Armenian Studies Department, the Fresno Family Counseling Center and the athletics program. In 2007 he honored his parents, Harry and Nevart Moordigian, by establishing an endowment to support deserving students in the Department of Viticulture and Enology. He continues to grow this scholarship, which now stands at nearly $250,000.

“Dr. Moordigian’s dedication to Fresno State will not only have a lasting impact on our students, but will help advance research and knowledge throughout the agricultural industry,” said Dr. Charles Boyer, dean of the Jordan College.

The Jordan Research Center will be located at the corner of Barstow and Woodrow avenues and is scheduled to open in fall 2015. The facility was made possible by a $29.4 million dollar gift from the Jordan family to the College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology in 2009.

This $24 million project will feature open, flexible space designed for collaborative research. Faculty and students from the Jordan College will work alongside colleagues in the Lyles College of Engineering and the College of Science and Mathematics.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Castro also announced two additional gifts to establish endowments to enhance laboratory spaces inside the building. Olam Spices and Vegetable Ingredients, a global provider of agriculture products and food ingredients, donated $200,000 to support the sensory evaluation, tasting and prep laboratory and alumni Earl and Beverly Knobloch gave in support of the instrument/robotics laboratory space.

For more information, contact Shannon Fast, associate director of development for the Jordan College, at 559.278.4266 or sfast@csufresno.edu.

To discuss potential partnership opportunities in the Jordan Research Center, contact Alcidia Freitas Gomes at 559.278.4266 or alcidia@csufresno.edu.

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